📖 Study Guide
Learn Japanese through stories.
These stories include Japanese culture,
daily life, travel experiences,
and conversations between people.
1. Read the English text.
2. Read the Japanese text.
3. Use Romaji if needed.
4. Review the vocabulary.
🌸 Story
The breeze coming through the window
feels a little cool.
窓から入ってくる風が、
少しひんやりしている。
Mado kara haitte kuru kaze ga,
sukoshi hinyari shite iru.
today.
終わりなんだね。
owari nan da ne.
it was still hot.
まだ暑かったよね。
mada atsukatta yo ne.
We even had days
that felt like summer.
夏みたいな日も
あったのにね。
Natsu mitai na hi mo
atta no ni ne.
it gets a little cold in the evening.
夕方になるとちょっと寒い。
yūgata ni naru to chotto samui.
earlier now, too.
早くなったよね。
hayaku natta yo ne.
When we put it all together,
it really had become autumn.
こうして並べてみると、
ちゃんと秋になってたんだね。
Kō shite narabete miru to,
chanto aki ni natteta n da ne.
we don’t really know
when the season changed.
いつ変わったのか
わからないのにね。
itsu kawatta no ka
wakaranai no ni ne.
Before we knew it,
it was already autumn.
気づいたら、
もう秋だった。
Kizuitara,
mō aki datta.
autumn will feel a little deeper. 😊
秋が深くなるのかな😊
aki ga fukaku naru no kana. 😊
💭 Story Note
In Japan,
autumn is often noticed through
small changes in everyday life.
In this story,
Sakura and Sumire remember
dragonflies, autumn clouds,
susuki grass, moon viewing,
and sanma.
Each one is a familiar sign of autumn.
The change of season
does not happen all at once.
The air becomes cooler,
it gets dark earlier,
and little by little,
summer starts to feel farther away.
By the end of September,
Sakura and Sumire realize
that autumn had already arrived.
📚 Vocabulary
Here are some words and expressions from this story.
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| season | 季節 | kisetsu |
| to feel cool | ひんやりする | hinyari suru |
| to get dark | 暗くなる | kuraku naru |
| before you know it | 気づいたら | kizuitara |
| autumn deepens | 秋が深くなる | aki ga fukaku naru |
「気づいたら」(kizuitara) is used
when you suddenly notice
that something has already happened
or changed.
It often has the feeling of
“before you know it”
or “when you realize it.”
For example:
「気づいたら、もう秋だった。」
Kizuitara, mō aki datta.
“Before I knew it, it was already autumn.”
「気づいたら、暗くなっていた。」
Kizuitara, kuraku natte ita.
“Before I knew it, it had gotten dark.”
「気づいたら」 is useful
when something changes little by little,
and you notice it only afterward.
🔰 Mix Words and Feel Their Meaning｜ことばを混ぜて、感覚をつかもう
Today’s expression is 「気づいたら」.
Try mixing it into English:
“気づいたら, it was already autumn.”
“気づいたら, it had gotten dark.”
“気づいたら, September was over.”
The goal is not to make perfect Japanese.
Think about the feeling of 「気づいたら」.
It is used when
something has already changed
before you notice it.
In this story,
Sakura looks back on September
and realizes that autumn
had already arrived.
コメント